*1.SRI MADHAV GADGIL REPORT IS BRILLIANT, TOOK TOO MUCH PAIN TO PRODUCE THIS REPORT; *2. STUPID POLITICIANS AND ALL SORTS OF MAFIA IN THE GARB OF PEOPLE DISCARDED THIS HIGHLY VALUABLE STUFF, BY MERE MOTIVE OF OBSTACLE TO LOOT; *3. THESE DEMONS AGAINST NATURE SHOULD BE CONDEMNED, AND ELIMINATED ..THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF BHARATHAM. *4. STATE POLITICS OF ALL THE 5 STATES IS PARTY AND VOTE BANK BASED; *5. NONE OF THE STATE ADMINISTRATION, GOVERNMENT, LEGISLATURES, EXECUTIVES, OR JUDICIARY SINCERELY STUDIED THIS REPORT WHERE THE TRUTH IS IN CRYSTAL CLEAR MANNER; *6. ACTUAL TRUTH, ALL STATES PLAY PARTY POLITICS HELPING VOTE BANKS, AND VARIOUS MAFIA GROUPS; *7. ANOTHER TRUTH NATURE IS MONEY AND FOR SALE IS THE MOTTO OF THESE, STATE POLITICIANS; *8. PEOPLE ON THE WHOLE IGNORANT OF THE VALUES OF NATURE; *9. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM IS STUPID ONE WHERE THE CHILD IS NOT TAUGHT ABOUT THE NATURE VALUES; *10. THESE BUGGERS SHOULD BE TAUGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT WE ARE SUSTAINED BY MOTHER NATURE LIKE VITAL MILK FROM MOTHER TO INFANT. **"Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part I - 9. Ecologically Sensitive Zones :-"

Opinion
   17/09/2018
            1404.

SUB :-*1.SRI MADHAV GADGIL REPORT IS BRILLIANT, TOOK TOO MUCH PAIN TO PRODUCE THIS REPORT;

*2. STUPID POLITICIANS AND ALL SORTS OF MAFIA IN THE GARB OF PEOPLE DISCARDED THIS HIGHLY VALUABLE STUFF, BY MERE MOTIVE OF OBSTACLE TO LOOT;

*3. THESE DEMONS AGAINST NATURE SHOULD BE CONDEMNED, AND ELIMINATED ..THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF BHARATHAM.

*4.  STATE POLITICS OF ALL THE 5 STATES IS PARTY AND VOTE BANK BASED;

*5. NONE OF THE STATE ADMINISTRATION, GOVERNMENT, LEGISLATURES, EXECUTIVES, OR JUDICIARY SINCERELY STUDIED THIS REPORT WHERE THE TRUTH IS IN CRYSTAL CLEAR MANNER;

*6. ACTUAL TRUTH, ALL STATES PLAY PARTY POLITICS HELPING VOTE BANKS, AND VARIOUS MAFIA GROUPS;

*7. ANOTHER TRUTH NATURE IS MONEY AND FOR SALE IS THE MOTTO OF THESE, STATE POLITICIANS;

*8. PEOPLE ON THE WHOLE IGNORANT OF THE VALUES OF NATURE;

*9. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM IS STUPID ONE WHERE THE CHILD IS NOT TAUGHT ABOUT THE NATURE VALUES;

*10. THESE BUGGERS SHOULD BE TAUGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT WE ARE SUSTAINED BY MOTHER NATURE LIKE VITAL MILK FROM MOTHER TO INFANT.

REF :-

**"Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part I - 9. Ecologically Sensitive Zones :-"

9. Ecologically Sensitive Zones :-

Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 (EPA) gives power to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to take all measures that it feels is necessary for protecting and improving the quality of the environment and to prevent and control environmental pollution. To meet this objective the Central Government can restrict areas in which any industries, operations or processes, or class of industries, operations or processes shall not be carried out or shall be carried out subject to certain safeguards.

Section 5(I) of the Environment (Protection) Rules 1986 (EPR) states that the Central Government can prohibit or restrict the location of industries and carrying out certain operations or processes on the basis of considerations like the biological diversity of an area (clause v), maximum allowable limits of concentration of pollutants for an area (clause ii), environmentally compatible land use (clause vi), or proximity to Protected Areas (clause viii).

These provisions were invoked in 1989 in the context of Murud-Janjira, a coastal village of Maharashtra. Subsequently, the term ‘Ecologically Fragile Area’ was used for the first time in 1991 in the context of Dahanu Taluka in coastal Maharashtra. This has been followed by declaration of a number of other areas such as the Mahabaleshwar- Panchgani and Matheran hills in the Maharashtra Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Zones / Areas. So far, these Ecologically Sensitive Zones / Areas have been established either as a result of initiatives of some civil society organizations wishing to protect a particularly vulnerable and significant area, or as a consequence of a resolution of the Indian Board for Wildlife in 2002 to protect areas up to ten kilometres from the boundaries of Protected Areas, namely Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks.

Over the years, a variety of terms such as Ecologically Sensitive/ Ecologically Fragile/ Ecosensitive/ Ecofragile Zones/ Areas have been used in the context of programmes relating to Ecologically Sensitive Zones and Areas. It is obviously useful to introduce some standard terminology and definitions. WGEEP will therefore use the term ‘Ecologically Sensitive Area’ while referring to extensive tracts and ‘Ecologically Sensitive Zone’ while referring to specific zones within the extended ‘Ecologically Sensitive Area’ for which a particular set of regulatory/ promotional activities have been proposed.

The Pronab Sen Committee set up in 2000 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests proposed a series of species, ecosystem and geo-morphology based parameters to decide upon ecologically sensitive areas in India. The Sen Committee’s foremost criterion for identification of an ESA is endemism, and the Committee proposed that the area of occurrence of every endemic species needs to be protected in its entirety. The Western Ghats harbours well over two thousand endemic species of flowering plants, fish, frogs, birds and mammals amongst the better known groups of organisms, and no doubt thousands more amongst less studied groups including insects. Amongst themselves these endemics would cover the entire geographical extent of the Western Ghats and all conceivable habitats, including many disturbed ones such as roadsides. The Western Ghats region thus qualifies as an ESA under several other, primary as also auxiliary, criteria proposed by the Pronab Sen committee. WGEEP fully endorses the conclusion that follows this set of criteria for the identification of an ESA, and recommends that the entire Western Ghats tract should be considered as an Ecologically Sensitive Area.

However, a uniform set of regulations cannot, obviously, be promulgated under the EPA for this entire region. Hence, WGEEP recommends the adoption of a graded or layered approach, and suggests that the entire Western Ghats be characterized as comprising (1) Regions of highest sensitivity or Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 (ESZ1), (2) Regions of high sensitivity or ESZ2, and the remaining (3) Regions of moderate sensitivity or ESZ3. These will be complementary to areas already declared as Protected Areas, which will continue to be managed under regulations prescribed by pertinent acts such as the Wildlife Protection Act. Thus, WGEEP has come up with four colour maps spanning the entire Western Ghats depicting PAs, and ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3.

9.1 Western Ghats Database :-

Such an assignment of ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3 can be done on two bases; namely (1) The existing Protected Area network and (2) systematic mapping and recording of base-line data as recommended by the Sen Committee. Indeed, as early as 2000, the Sen committee had called for systematically mapping and recording base-line data for the entire country, as also to design and operationalize a comprehensive monitoring programme and network, involving not only government agencies but also other institutions, universities, NGOs, and individuals, particularly those living in pertinent areas. This challenge was taken up by WGEEP, and considerable progress made in the exercise of development of a spatial database, for over 2200 grids of 5’x 5’ or roughly 9 km x 9 km through compilation of all readily available information on topography, land cover and occurrence of biodiversity elements. The rationale and methodology followed has been widely exposed to scientific scrutiny through publication of a detailed exposition in Current Science, India’s leading scientific journal, in January 2011(Gadgil, M. et al. 2011). Box 4 briefly summarises the methodology followed. The detailed methodology followed in the development of this database is explained in Section 20. The WGEEP database is complemented by development of similar, more detailed, information bases by BVIEER, Pune and DEVRAAI, Kolhapur.

Admittedly there still are serious lacunae. In particular, the database is yet to incorporate considerations of habitat continuity, other than in the special case of elephant corridors. It is also weak in terms of information on streams, rivers and other wetlands, as well as ground water, and further careful work is needed to identify, protect and sustainably manage aquatic habitats and water resources. Since our focus is on hill areas, this database also leaves out of consideration of issues of significance for the west coast and coastal plains, such as mangrove forests and khajan lands. Nevertheless, we now have, for the first time in the country, a comprehensive, spatially-referenced database on a series of important ecological parameters, transparently available in the public domain that can serve as the guidance.

Box 4: Mapping Ecologically Significant and Sensitive Areas of the Western Ghats: Proposed Protocols and Methodology

(Abstract of Gadgil et al (2011): Current Science)

One of the objectives assigned for the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, GOI, was to identify the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) along Western Ghats, and thence to suggest regulatory procedures to conserve them. However the panel came to realize that globally there is no consensus either on the criteria to define ESAs or, on an adaptable methodology to identify them. Therefore defining and developing a methodology became an important first step before the panel could map the ESAs. This paper reports the outcome of a series of discussions and consultations held by the panel for a consensus on defining and mapping ESAs. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, to invoke discussion and suggestions from a wider section of experts, on the conceptual and methodological details arrived at by the WGEEP; second to promote the methodology as a generic procedure for mapping ESAs in other significant bio-rich areas within and outside the country.

We propose below a set of these attributes with the criteria to be used for each of them and then provide a methodological process to combine and use these criteria in demarcating ESA especially for a large area such as the Western Ghats.

1. Biological attributes: We propose that demarcation of an ESA shall consider the following components of biological and cultural uniqueness and richness : -

a. Biodiversity richness: Richness in diversity at all taxonomic groups and hierarchies.
b. Species Rarity: Rarity of population size, distribution and also rarity in taxonomic representation.
c. Habitat Richness: Spatial heterogeneity of landscape elements
d. Productivity: Total biomass productivity
e. Estimate of biological/ecological resilience: Representation of the plesio-vegetation
f. Cultural and Historical Significance: Evolutionary–historical value and cultural–historical value of the area

2. Geo-climatic layers attributes: These include the range of layers that assess the innate or natural vulnerability of the area. Obviously features such as slope, aspect, altitude, precipitation etc shall be used under the following two component attributes: -

a. Topographic Features: Slope, altitude, aspect etc.,
b. Climatic Features: Precipitation, number of wet days etc.,.
c. Hazard vulnerability: Natural hazards such as landslides and fires.

3. Stake Holders Valuation: It is important to invite the opinion of the public and local bodies especially the Zilla Panchayats, village level political bodies and also other civil societies to enlist the areas that they feel ecologically and environmentally sensitive and use these as important attributes.

(As the Methodology described in Section 20 indicates, we could not compile the full set of data indicated above, nor have we been able to cover all the criteria proposed by the Pronab Sen committee, primarily due to lack of time.)

Admittedly there still are serious lacunae. In particular, the database is yet to incorporate considerations of habitat continuity, other than in the special case of elephant corridors. It is also weak in terms of information on streams, rivers and other wetlands, as well as ground water, and further careful work is needed to identify, protect and sustainably manage aquatic habitats and water resources. Since our focus is on hill areas, this database also leaves out of consideration of issues of significance for the west coast and coastal plains, such as mangrove forests and khajan lands. Nevertheless, we now have, for the first time in the country, a comprehensive, spatially-referenced database on a series of important ecological parameters, transparently available in the public domain that can serve as the basis of a systematic delineation of different levels of ecological significance/ sensitivity for a sizeable region.

WGEEP, of course, realizes that ecological sensitivity is not merely a scientific, but very much a human concern. In particular, a great deal of locality-specific understanding of what has been happening and what is desirable, is simply not part of any scientific databases and resides with local communities. WGEEP therefore invited all concerned people and institutions to share their own perceptions as to what specific areas on the Western Ghats should be identified as being ‘Ecologically Sensitive Areas’, why they feel so, and what set of regulations tailored to the needs of the locality should be put in place if the area were to be formally declared as being ecologically sensitive.

In response, we have received a number of specific proposals from individual Gram Panchayats as well as NGOs from different parts of the Western Ghats. Two of these are particularly noteworthy, (a) Gramsabha resolutions from a single cluster of 25 villages from Savantwadi and Dodamarg talukas of Sindhudurg district that they wish their areas to be constituted as ESAs, and (b) careful proposal for a ‚Maharashtra Sahyadri Ecologically Sensitive Area‛ by DEVRAAI, an NGO from Kolhapur drawing on extensive research conducted at Shivaji University. The proponents of these proposals have used the term Ecologically Sensitive Area in the currently prevalent sense, before WGEEP had decided to treat the entire Western Ghats region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area with different levels of ecologically sensitive zones. The proposals received by the WGEEP are referred to by the Panel as ‚Ecologically Sensitive Localities‛ to differentiate from its proposal to constitute the entire Western Ghats region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area. Table 2 lists specific proposals received from civil society for designation of new Ecologically Sensitive Localities. (ESL)

While the Panel is specifying ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3 grids and talukas for immediate action, it is not specifying any specific action for the localities listed in Table 2. This is for three reasons: Firstly, because it was not possible to demarcate the boundaries which essentially require intensive field work, secondly, it was not possible to arrive at well-designed administrative mechanism to deal with them, and thirdly, because there may be many other deserving sites in the Western Ghats to be so designated and the Panel was not able to undertake a process of properly identifying them given the time constraints.

Table 2 Specific proposals for new Ecologically Sensitive Localities (ESL)

ESLs

1. Maharashtra  Lonavla-Khandala  Maharashtra Sahyadri  Cluster of 25 villages from Savantwadi and Dodamarg talukas  ESAs surrounding Protected Areas;

2. Goa  Sahyadri  ESAs surrounding Protected Areas;

3. Karnataka  Sahyadri  Kodachadri  Kodagu  ESAs surrounding Protected Areas;

4.Tamil Nadu  Valparai  ESAs surrounding Protected Areas  Kodaikanal  Nilgiri District;

5. Kerala  Mandakol  Panathadi  Paithal Mala  Brahmagiri-Thirunelli  Wayanad  Banasura-Kuttiyadi  Nilumbur-Mepadi  Silent Valley- New Amarambalam  Siruvani  Nelliampathy  Peechi-Vazhani  Athirappilly-Vazhachal  Pooyamkutty Munnar  Cardamom Hills  Periyar  Kulathupuzha  Agasthya Mala  ESAs surrounding. Protected Areas

To be continued ....

OPINION :-

1.SRI MADHAV GADGIL REPORT IS BRILLIANT, TOOK TOO MUCH PAIN TO PRODUCE THIS REPORT;

2. STUPID POLITICIANS AND ALL SORTS OF MAFIA IN THE GARB OF PEOPLE DISCARDED THIS HIGHLY VALUABLE STUFF, BY MERE MOTIVE OF OBSTACLE TO LOOT;

3. THESE DEMONS AGAINST NATURE SHOULD BE CONDEMNED, AND ELIMINATED ..THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF BHARATHAM.

4.  STATE POLITICS OF ALL THE 5 STATES IS PARTY AND VOTE BANK BASED;

5. NONE OF THE STATE ADMINISTRATION, GOVERNMENT, LEGISLATURES, EXECUTIVES, OR JUDICIARY SINCERELY STUDIED THIS REPORT WHERE THE TRUTH IS IN CRYSTAL CLEAR MANNER;

6. ACTUAL TRUTH, ALL STATES PLAY PARTY POLITICS HELPING VOTE BANKS, AND VARIOUS MAFIA GROUPS;

7. ANOTHER TRUTH NATURE IS MONEY AND FOR SALE IS THE MOTTO OF THESE, STATE POLITICIANS;

8. PEOPLE ON THE WHOLE IGNORANT OF THE VALUES OF NATURE;

9. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM IS STUPID ONE WHERE THE CHILD IS NOT TAUGHT ABOUT THE NATURE VALUES;

10. THESE BUGGERS SHOULD BE TAUGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT WE ARE SUSTAINED BY MOTHER NATURE LIKE VITAL MILK FROM MOTHER TO INFANT.

JAIHIND
VANDEMATHARAM